NBCU takes aim at ‘indie women’ demo

Peacock unveils ad sales push aimed at femme subset

Shining light on what NBCUniversal sees as a discreet but powerful demographic flocking to the small screen, Peacock’s Integrated Media arm has honed its focus on the “indie woman.”

Making up nearly a third of all adult femmes, the indie woman is around her late twenties, unmarried, has no kids, and does not live with a partner.

NBCU research shows that this demo is viewing anywhere from 15-64% more latenight programming on the Peacock and its cable nets compared to the average woman, and 12% more TV than the average woman in general. Indie women also second-screen more, and have what advertisers love: disposable income.

This consumer segment spends roughly $1 trillion each year, but is often not targeted the way other demos are by TV and digital advertisers.

“The rise of Indie Women is one of the single most significant cultural shifts in the last 50 years, yet despite their tremendous buying power – annually spending $22 Billion on vehicles, $20 Billion on entertainment, and $50 Billion on food – they are among the least explored and addressed consumer groups, ” said John Shea, exec veep and chief marketing officer of NBCUniversal Integrated Media. “Across NBCUniversal’s vast digital and linear portfolio, we reach 93% of Indie Women and know that they over-index in programming such as late night, news, and reality, so we can both scale and target. Additionally, we know that beyond buying power, this group has great influence in social media, exemplified by behavior like being 11% more likely to follow favorite brands than average women.”

Demo was of particular focus at Thursday’s “Power of the Purse” event in Los Angeles, hosted by NBCU. Breakfast pow-wow brought a group of 200 marketers, advertisers and agency pros from around the nation to discuss the role of social media in targeting these femme consumers.

Confab featured, alongside panels with E! topper Suzanne Kolb, the Kardashian family and industry execs, a sneak peek of NBCU Integrated Media’s short doc “Indie Women,” produced by the division’s in-house shingle Curve Films. Doc is available for streaming on Curve Films’ website, and emphasizes that the indie women trend is not limited to major metropolitan areas like Gotham and LA. Rather, this demo phenomenon exists even in small towns across the U.S.

Shea added: “Integrated Media’s documentary not only brings dimension to Indie Women, but by creating targeted marketing opportunities for ad partners, we also tie the insights to actionable steps.”